No One Is Going to “Discover” Your Genius – Here’s What To Do Instead

“When people talk to each other, they never say what they mean, they say something else. And you’re expected to just know what they mean.”

Great marketing lesson.

That’s why I advocate listening to what people don’t say.

And one of the things people don’tsay is their invisible scripts…Because they’re invisible.

Invisible Scripts: Assumptions you’ve made about how the world works that influence your perception and behavior.

Invisible scripts are not empirical observations and they vary by culture. For example:

Working at a corporation is a more responsible thing to do.

You’re not *really* an adult unless you own a home.

If you went to Harvard, you’re extremely smart.

People who move back in with their parents are failures.

It’s important to be liked.

I’ll be happy if I make more money.

Healthy couples never fight.

Being busy means I’m important.

I am a bad person if I don’t call my grandmother.

They’re beliefs we hold about the world around us that we never think to question.

One particularly damaging invisible script comes out of awesome movies like The Imitation Game. It’s also in A Beautiful Mind. Centerstage. The Queen of Katwe. The Hundred Foot Journey. And that new series out about Albert Einstein, Genius.

The script goes:

“One day, my genius will be discovered.”

Most of us don’t. I mean, we say we do in public. And our brain technically “knows” the difference. But when we’re home alone feeling sorry for ourselves, we’re thinking, “Why can’t my life be like FICTIONAL CHARACTER” “My life would be so easy IF…” And our brain goes into fantasy land.

This “myth of discovery” leads good people to sit and wait.

Wait to be discovered. Wait to be chosen. “If it was meant to be,” the script says, “someone would recognize my genius!”

Hogwash.

No one is going to pick you.

Only you can choose you.

I’m not done ranting yet.

The premise that you have to be a genius to be discovered is also problematic. Let’s be honest, we’re all mostly B+ players and not geniuses. (Sorry…but you sorta suspected it didn’t you?)(Don’t worry, you’re not alone, you’re the majority. You’re smart. Just not genius smart. You probably have a life too. And many fantastic and wonderful redeeming qualities that geniuses don’t have IRL, but do in movies.)

According to this genius narrative, you’ll never be discovered because there is nothing spectacular to discover.

You’re left out of the narrative completely.

Which is crap.

If you’re a regular illiterate person born in the slums of Uganda like the Queen of Katwe – you’re just screwed? That’s a $#@^&y message to send to the rest of us.

I prefer the message that is backed by science: Grit > Talent. Thank you, Angela Duckworth. (I have not read her book, but am told it’s wonderful. I did hear her interviewed, many times, and she was wonderful).

Perseverance. Mental fortitude. Willingness to get back up after being pushed down. Determination.

Those are the things that set you apart IRL.

[Before I get angry emails, of course, you need some talent. I will never be a famous singer because I cannot sing. But if you can sing, don’t wait to be discovered. Practice your buns off and build yourself an audience.]